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Intellectual Property Theft

Mark A. Motivans, Ph.D., Bureau of Justice Statistics

October 1, 2004 NCJ 205800

Presents statistics on both criminal and civil enforcement of Federal intellectual property laws for 1994-2002. Criminal intellectual property theft offenses include copyright and trademark infringement and theft of trade secrets. Civil intellectual property suits include copyright, trademark, and patent infringement. The report summarizes intellectual property legislation and nine-year trends. This Special Report presents intellectual property trends in the number of suspects (both individuals and organizations) referred to U.S. attorneys and defendants prosecuted, convicted, and sentenced. A numerical table sums up the types of sentences and penalties imposed across the period. The report also includes the number of civil intellectual property complaints filed and terminated, with information on plaintiff winners and monetary award amounts.

Highlights:

The number of suspects referred to U.S. attorneys with an IP theft-related lead charge increased 26% from 1994-2002.

From 1994 to 2002 the number of cases in which plaintiffs sought civil remedies related to patent, trademark, and copyright infringement increased 20% to 8,254.

During 2002, 88% of defendants with IP offense as their most serious offense were convicted.